The Fianna Fail Senator Don Lydon has defended the actions of Dublin County Councillors who rezoned land in the early 1990s.
Senator Lydon is being questioned at the Flood Tribunal about his activities as a county councillor in the 1990s.
He denies taking a bribe of £3,000 from the former lobbyist Frank Dunlop to propose a re-zoning motion.
Mr Lydon said the perception that county councillors rezoned more land than necessary was absolute rubbish.
Their actions had since been justified by planning reports which said all of the rezoned land in Dublin was needed, he added.
But Counsel for the Tribunal, John Gallagher, said for all their rezoning, councillors had not managed to reduce the housing waiting list for those who could not afford homes.
They had only succeeded in creating homes that most young people could not afford, he said.
Senator Lydon also denied that Fianna Fáil councillors operated a whip system for planning votes. But he said that councillors would meet before voting and reach a consensus.
